As the weather cools off, spicy beef noodle soup with sesame chili oil is the perfect comforting soup! Made with a fragrant stock and served with a sesame chili oil, this recipe is a great crowd-pleaser! This recipe takes a long time to prepare, but the final product is oh-so-worth-it.
This beef noodle soup is inspired by the classic Taiwanese beef noodle soup recipe, but I had some fun experimenting with different flavors. Certainly not authentic, but tasty nonetheless. My friend has made my spicy beef noodle soup recipe countless times and it’s one of her favorite recipes!
How to Make Spicy Beef Noodle Soup with Sesame Chili Oil:
In this recipe, prepare a stock using black peppercorns, black vinegar, cinnamon, cardamom pods, coriander seeds, cinnamon, ginger, and garlic. You’ll add a quartered tangerine which imparts a really nice citrus flavor to the broth. The beef will simmer in the stock for at least an hour and thirty minutes or until it is falling apart tender!
Once the beef is melt-in-your-mouth tender, you’ll add carrots and shiitake caps and then ladle all this deliciousness over noodles of your choice. You can serve with a sesame chili oil to add an extra kick!
This recipe is very versatile depending on what vegetables you’d like to add as vegetables to the broth. Like I mentioned above, I used carrots and shiitake caps, but you could try this with:
- Baby bok choy
- Spinach
- Chopped, roasted gai lan
- Poached or soft-boiled egg
- Eggplant
The possibilities are endless!
In this beef noodle soup recipe, use half a head of garlic that simmered in the stock and popped out the cloves, threw them in a food processor and pulsed with sesame and chili oil. It was a perfectly aromatic and spicy topping for the soup!
Looking for more noodle recipes? Check my archives!
If you made this recipe, please rate the recipe below and leave a comment to tell me how you liked it! If you take a picture of it, please tag me on Instagram so I can feature you in my feed!
Beef Noodle Soup with Sesame Chili Oil
Equipment
- Stock pot
- Large pot
- Fine mesh sieve
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck cut into bite-sized cubes
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons black vinegar
- 16 cups water
- 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 10 cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 inch piece of ginger cut into large pieces
- 2 heads garlic halved cross-wise
- 1 tangerine quartered
- 2 medium onions peeled and quartered
- 6 scallions roughly chopped
- 24 shiitake mushrooms stems reserved
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
- 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar depending on your preference; I added 2 tablespoons!
- 6 large carrots scrubbed and cut into ½'' rounds on an angle
- 24 ounces noodles of your choice such as fresh ramen or dry udon or soba
- 5 tablespoons sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons chili oil more or less depending on your preference
- 1 scallion thinly sliced on an angle, optional, for garnish
Instructions
Brown the Beef:
- Add the butter and olive oil to a large stockpot and turn the heat to medium high. Once the butter is melted and frothy, add the beef in an even layer and cook for 3-4 minutes per side until browned all over. Note: Cook the beef in batches to ensure that you get a nice sear on all the pieces.
- Transfer all the beef to a bowl and reduce the heat on the stockpot to medium.
Prepare the Stock:
- Add the black vinegar to the stockpot and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the water along with the black peppercorns, coriander seeds, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, sliced ginger, the garlic heads, the tangerine and onion quarters, the mushroom stems, and the scallions. Add 1 teaspoon salt.
- Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour. Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve into a large heat-proof bowl and discard all the solids except for 1 half of a garlic head. Set aside the garlic to allow it to cool. Wipe out the stock pot and return the strained stock back to the pot.
Cook the Beef:
- Add the beef along with all the juices in the bowl to the pot. Stir in the soy sauce, turmeric, and the sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 1 hour 30 minutes. Skim any fat or foam from the top of the soup periodically.
Finish the Soup:
- During the last thirty minutes of the soup cooking, stir in the carrots and the shiitake caps. Turn the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, over a low boil. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Cook the Noodles:
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse.
Prepare the Sesame Chili Oil:
- Once the garlic is cool enough to handle, remove the peel and transfer the peeled cloves to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the sesame oil and chili oil and pulse a few times until combined. Season with salt and transfer to a small bowl.
To Serve:
- Divide the noodles between bowls and ladle the soup on top. Garnish with the reserved sliced scallion and serve with the sesame chili oil. Enjoy!
